Left to right: Jessica′s sister, Jamie; her parents, Sam and Terri; and her husband, Dan.

After Jessica was tragically killed in a car accident in October 2009, her family directed memorial donations to Geneva′s McCartney Library. Jessica had been an incredibly dedicated student, double-majoring in chemistry and chemical engineering and balancing schoolwork with her responsibilities as a varsity softball player.

John Doncevic, director of McCartney Library, together with Dr. John Stahl, chair of the chemistry department, decided to use these funds to renovate the science reading room in S&E.

"It was an area where Jessica spent a lot of her time, and that space really needed a sprucing up," Doncevic says.

S&E had undergone a complete renovation during Jessica′s freshman and sophomore years at Geneva, but due to cost, the science library had been relatively untouched. Now, cracked plaster is completely repaired and repainted, comfortable leather chairs have replaced secondhand furniture, and a long, bar-style computer desk provides outlets and wireless access for laptop use. But not everything has been changed. The sturdy hexagonal worktables where Jess spent countless hours studying and working on engineering projects remain exactly as she left them. A plaque outside the door commemorates her tireless devotion as a student, an athlete and a friend.

"We are all grateful that Jessica′s life … connected with ours. And we desire to remember and carry on in the same spirit that she so remarkably displayed," Stahl said at the dedication ceremony. "As future students study in this room and work and learn in this building, their lives will in a way touch upon Jessica′s life, as God continues to build His kingdom."